Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oranjestad and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,327 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,327

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oranjestad and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oranjestad and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,327 per month in Oranjestad vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Oranjestad $2,327
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,208 per month in Oranjestad vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Oranjestad $4,208
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,089 per month in Oranjestad vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Oranjestad $6,089
Nosara $3,712

Oranjestad costs about 27% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oranjestad and Nosara sit above the global median – Oranjestad by 74%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.18 AWG 39.71

$12.22 ₡5,509

81.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 AWG 142

$60.2 ₡27.1K

31.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 AWG 18.16

$7.54 ₡3,399

34.48%

Cappuccino

$4.29 AWG 7.68

$4.31 ₡1,941

-0.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 AWG 2.52

$1.72 ₡773

-18.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 AWG 2.97

$1.35 ₡608

22.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 AWG 5.24

$3.24 ₡1,459

-9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 AWG 7.33

$4.48 ₡2,018

-8.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AWG 3.30

$1.57 ₡707

17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 AWG 5.24

$3.17 ₡1,429

-7.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 AWG 5.21

$2.42 ₡1,091

20.25%

Eggs

$5.40 AWG 9.66

$3.57 ₡1,609

51.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 AWG 22.59

$7.43 ₡3,349

69.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 AWG 16.50

$10.42 ₡4,697

-11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 AWG 21.54

$13.66 ₡6,156

-11.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 AWG 8.37

$2.32 ₡1,044

101.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 AWG 4.13

$1.61 ₡728

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 AWG 9.15

$4.74 ₡2,138

7.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 AWG 6.38

$1.66 ₡747

114.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 AWG 3.91

$3.72 ₡1,679

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 AWG 3.67

$3.57 ₡1,611

-42.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 AWG 4.78

$1.10 ₡497

142.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 AWG 2.84

$2.55 ₡1,149

-37.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.91 AWG 17.75

$4.95 ₡2,232

100.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.70 AWG 17.36

$20.01 ₡9,020

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 AWG 7.07

$2.79 ₡1,256

41.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 AWG 7.74

$3.53 ₡1,589

22.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 AWG 3.83

$1.19 ₡537

79.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.14 AWG 54.0

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-58.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.86 AWG 30.18

$2.24 ₡1,011

652.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.83 AWG 6.86

$1.55 ₡701

147.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.95 AWG 44.67

$8.86 ₡3,993

181.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 AWG 3.65

$1.57 ₡708

29.94%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.9K AWG 46.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

18.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K AWG 62.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

0.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 AWG 451

$93.5 ₡42.1K

169.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$48.35 AWG 86.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

37.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 AWG 187

$51.5 ₡23.2K

102.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 AWG 111

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-12.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.38 AWG 47.22

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-25.56%

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 AWG 21.52

$7.84 ₡3,535

53.32%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$254 AWG 455

$490 ₡220.7K

-48.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,657 AWG 15.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-27.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 AWG 106

$53.5 ₡24.1K

10.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 AWG 91.9

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-8.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 AWG 195

$79.3 ₡35.7K

37.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 AWG 186

$78.9 ₡35.6K

31.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 AWG 1,673

$786 ₡354.3K

18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 AWG 1,676

$780 ₡351.6K

20.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,703 AWG 4,839

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-29.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,031 AWG 5,426

$1,407 ₡634.4K

115.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,210 AWG 3,956

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-68.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,744 AWG 3,121

$1,201 ₡541.3K

45.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,706 AWG 3,053

$876 ₡395.0K

94.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.62

-27.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Oranjestad: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Oranjestad

$936 40.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 16.7% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oranjestad

$405 17.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 55.5% $225

Groceries & Markets

Oranjestad

$365 15.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 4.2% $15

Eating Out

Oranjestad

$294 12.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 28.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Oranjestad

$145 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Oranjestad

$86 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0.9% $0.8

Getting Around

Oranjestad

$75 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $935 in Oranjestad versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 95% higher in Oranjestad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Oranjestad versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

23:33 11:33 PM

2 h behind Oranjestad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.498 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.498 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oranjestad Nosara 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Oranjestad
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Oranjestad vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,327 in Oranjestad, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,491 per month in Oranjestad and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 139% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $254 per month in Oranjestad and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Oranjestad at $2,327. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oranjestad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,327 in Oranjestad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oranjestad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.